In a room of 4,000 outstanding individuals, designers, supermodels and stars, the 2016 British Fashion Awards took place in London tonight. With many renowned and iconic designers such as Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford and Donatella Versace present, as well as the new and upcoming, the show sure was a varietal and multifarious mix.
Of the top awards of the night, Craig Green won the British Menswear Designer Award, while Simone Rocha won the British Womenswear Designer Award, and Alexander McQueen won the dominant British Brand of the Year award.
David Beckham presented the Outstanding Achievement Award to Ralph Lauren, a celebratory award to the individual for their significant contribution to the global fashion industry. Gigi Hadid scooped her sister Bella and best friend Kendall Jenner in the International Model of the Year Award, a defining and prestigious award so it was no surprise to see emotions on stage as she accepted the honour.
Jaden and Willow Smith were surprised with the New Fashion Icon award; with no nomination prior, the award comes as a revelation on the night.
My personal adoration this year was for Gucci, so it came as no surprise to see Alessandro Michele take home the Accessories’ Designer of the Year award. With such a rich and flamboyant collection for Gucci in 2016, this prestige was well deserved, don’t we all agree? Gucci, all in all, has done extremely well this year as a wrap, as the brand sweeps away two awards, with Marco Bizzarri taking the International Business Leader award.
VĂȘtements, an urban and streetwear brand that has been taking Instagram by storm, and the likes of the youth especially in Asia this year, won the award for International Urban Luxury Brand.
Britain’s Emerging Talent Award was taken by Molly Goddard, Franca Sozzani won the Swarovski Award for Positive Change, Bruce Weber, as announced earlier, was honoured with the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, and the International Ready-to-Wear Designer was taken by Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga. And last but not least, 100 Years of British Vogue took the Special Recognition Award of 2016.
VIPs attending included David Gandy, Molly Goddard, Erdem Moralioglu, Christopher Bailey, MBE, Nicole Scherzinger, Derek Blasberg, Adwoa Aboah, David and Victoria Beckham, Jack Whitehall, Karlie Kloss, Lily Donaldson, Vivienne Westwood, Nadja Swarovski, Abbey Clancy, Jourdan Dunn, Olivia Palermo, Eva HerzigovĂĄ, Winnie Harlow, Anya Hindmarch, Giovanna Engelbert, Laura Bailey, Julien Macdonald, Jordan Kale Barrett, Hamish Bowles, and Lady Gaga. The British Fashion Council’s Dame Natalie Massenet and Caroline Rush looked like stars as they walked the red carpet.âCecilia Xu

‘Technology evolves but style is timeless’ is a value in which boutique watch designer brand Grayton strongly stand by. This is exactly what the brand has produced, raising the bar in what a classic watch can do with the release of their Origin mechanical watch, available for pre-sale beginning today on Indiegogo, with a commercial release slated for May 2017.
The unique selling-point of the Origin is its smart strap, which is interchangeable and connected to your smart phone. The Origin is crafted in a brushed 316L stainless steel case with polished accents, with a see-through back cover that gives a glimpse of the watch’s self-winding mechanism. Its power reserve is 41 hours.
The well hidden, built-in electronics make the strap indistinguishable from the best traditional leather straps. The accompanying app is compatible with both Iphone and Android platforms, and is ideal for receiving notification alerts in the office or recording workout fitness data at the gym, activity tracking, phone notifications, music control and more.âCecilia Xu

Church Road Winery winemaker Chris Scott, whom Lucire had the pleasure to meet earlier this year as he introduced his Tom vintages, has been named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year 2016 by Winestate magazine. Scott also won the title in 2013. Winestate also awarded Scott’s Church Road McDonald Series Syrah 2014 with the Syrah/Shiraz of the Year trophy and New Zealand Wine of the Year trophy.
The Winestate New Zealand Winemaker of the Year award is given to the individual who achieves the highest score from the top 10 different wines judged throughout the year.
Another international win was scored by the Rees Hotel Queenstown, which was judged Best New Zealand Ski Hotel at the 2016 World Ski Awards in KitzbĂŒhel, Tirol, Austria. The awards are considered ski tourism’s most coveted prizes. The Rees Hotel is within easy reach of Coronet Peak, the Remarkables, Treble Cone and Cardona, while its complimentary ski concierge services cater to the most demanding of skiers. The Rees team can help with arranging skiing or snowboarding packages, gear hire, lessons and heli-skiing.BarcelĂł Hotel Group will create new brands to complement the parent one: Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts, and Allegro Hotels. After acquiring Occidental, which brought the Spanish-HQed company into Aruba and Colombia, BarcelĂł has had to rethink its structure. Royal Hideaway (seven per cent of its portfolio) is the top brand, with luxury resorts; BarcelĂł Hotels and Resorts represents affordable but upscale resorts, with U-Spa Health and Wellness Centres, and includes its flagship BarcelĂł Emperatriz; Occidental Hotels & Resorts is for families, friends and couples with adventure inclusions; and Allegro Hotels (five per cent) is aimed at budget travellers.

After an intense, divisive US presidential season, and its controversial aftermath, Californians were ready to kick off award show season. Celebrity Connected not only got the party started, but provided some much needed pre-Christmas comfort and joy to greet the Hollywood creative community. The W Hollywood became a Garden of Eden, filled with a bumper crop of organic vegan goodies, non-dairy frozen treats, comfy weekend wear, interesting vaping inventions, yoga goods, and plants that could be planted in yards to further green up oneâs neighboUrhood.

The Childrenâs Hour
Bears for Humanity founder Vijay Prathap spread a little early Yuletide cheer, distributing US-made Santa Bears to get his point across about the companyâs multi-tiered charitable efforts. The 100 per cent certified organic, global Fair Trade elements of the bear are brought together by at-risk women looking to expand their career opportunities through the welfare-to-work programme. With every bear purchased, another bear is given to a child in need in communities throughout the country.
There were also all-ages fashion and skin care (with lots of mother-and-daughter teamwork) served up by Royal & Reese, Swag-Eez and Sistah Buttah, as well as yoga hear from Karma and Soul. Pre-teen entrepreneurs Angels & Tomboys showed off their Shark Tank-winning, rock-inspired body sprays (including Purple Rain, a tribute to Prince reminding one of the grape soda we all loved as kids).

Green days
Although the overall progressive agenda now hangs in the balance with a conservative government coming to power in 2017, the fight to make cannabis legal in several statesâincluding Californiaâhas moved in the right direction. Adults over 18 could sign up with MediCann doctors on the spot for paperwork that provided three months of access to dispensaries. In the immediate, they could sample several innovative products incorporating medical marijuana, cannabis, and hemp.
Hemp Kitchen offered a Medicine Chest package through their delivery service with a variety of foods and treatment products addressing pain relief, headaches and other ailments. Chef Mike was on hand to explain how enjoy the products and the nutritional components of the goods. The Art of Edibles Cannabis Collective and To Whom It May provided chocolate aficionados with gorgeously wrapped gourmet truffles, and generous gifts from VQase and Hawaiian Vape provided extra flavour and fun for those partaking in the popular cigarette alternative.
Souly Vegan of Oakland served substantial sustenance, while Justinâs nutty goodies added sweet relief to mid-day hunger pangs and Cocorilla had coconut water as nature intendedâin its original shell. Pure indulgence was doled out by Street Churos (a food truck with a charitable element), Kokolato gelato and Yoga-urt.

Finds beyond the suite
Around the same time as this suite, we found some other good products worth noting. Eufora Curl âN is one of the best curl-defining sprays for finer hair texture going. All the definition and spring without sticky stuff weighing down hair.EC/BC recently rolled out its TSA-friendly backpacks and briefcases. Though the designs are unisex, these carry-on items make a statement in terms of fuss-free travel that help sort out (literally) anything that may stop a law-abiding citizen in the security line. The BarcelĂł Hotel Group (known for its Caribbean and Mexican resorts) is also expanding its reach into Cuba, Costa Rica and other hot destinations, figuratively and literally.âElyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Pretty Little Liarsâ Lucy Hale has been named as a spokeswoman and creative director for Casetify, a company retailing cellphone cases, Apple Watch bands, Macbook sleeves and clutches.
The capsule collection of 34 pieces has been launched in time for the new Apple Iphone 7, based around the idea of ‘delicate but daring,’ a motto credited to the actress. The designs reflect Hale’s tastes, including one with the quotation, ‘I like big brows and I cannot lie,’ as well as cheetah, floral and cacti prints, and one featuring her own dog, Elvis.
Prices begin at US$40, and the range can be found at www.casetify.com/lucy-hale. The 15th annual Walpole Awards, presented in London on Wednesday, saw numerous fashion and beauty brands honoured for their contribution to luxury. Ralph & Russo won Outstanding Achievement in British Luxury, presented by Nadja Swarovski (right).
Other winners included make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, who won British Luxury Brand of the Year, and accessories’ designer Anya Hindmarch won the prize for Digital Innovation in British Luxury. Burberry and House of St Barnabas jointly won the Champion of British Luxury Sustainability award.